“Made a claim for stolen keys. Carried out instructions from the Hastings operator- send receipts, details to claims team in Preston etc. Then nothing. Rang up 6 weeks later to be passed from clueless operator to clueless operator. The last one couldn't even find the car details. Each one seemed surprised the phone had rung. "I'm not trained in key claims", "I'm not trained in the system", "I'll put it in the group chat to see if anyone knows how to find your policy", "Someone will call you back" (without asking for my phone number!!). No confidence that anyone will do anything about this, or we'll ever see the money.”
Hello Andrew, I'm very sorry to read about this and I hope that some progress has since been made concerning your claim. I can appreciate the frustration at the poor customer service you have received.
If you wish to raise a formal complaint concerning this, please www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. You can find further information about this process here: www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Unfortunately we havent had a great experience with Hastings.
We took out the insurance 5 days ago for my 18 year old daughter.
On Monday, she dropped back some library books to her college in Islington and picked up a couple of friends to go shopping in Westfield shopping centre white city. There was a lot of traffic and her friends were using her phone to add to playlists on spotify.
The next day, she opened the app and it was reporting 2 things:
- 1 excessive phone use whilst driving (although she personally never touched her phone once)
- 2 excessive cornering. This was being reported as she was driving down the exit ramp from the 6th floor on the car park. She had no choice but to come down in a spiral, there was no otherway to drive to but to do constant cornering.
We called Hastings as her driving score had dropped to 56% and we were obviously concerned and unfortunately spoke to someone called Kyle.
I queried with Kyle how the app works, was it using the internal gyroscope in the phone, he said it was. I said what if the phone drops out of the holder is that recorded as use? He said it would.
I asked what if my daughter pulled over and set a new sat nav journey and then drove off, how can it differentiate between this action and messing with the phone in traffic? He said it doesnt and it would be classed as using it whilst driving.
I asked if we could therefore just get a second phone to connect the blackbox to as she doesnt use the phone whilst driving and it would prevent these issues, he said that it was against the rules. I said that I had actually asked Katie on live chat about that and she said we coud. He said you cant. I said can you just show me where in the policy it says you cant, and he said that it couldnt off the top of his head, but its not allowed.
I said overall it was outrageous but that we would just get a second phone to connect to spotify so at least her friends can choose music and that interaction wouldnt be recorded. We came off the call.
within about 10 minutes we had a notification in the app stating that our insurance was cancelled. We immediately called Kyle back and asked him what was going on. He said that have tried to maniupulate the data. I said we have done no such thing, we asked questions, I queried that we had been told otherwise by Katie and that it was not in the policy but at the end of the call we agreed to just get another phone for spotify. he said that would be allowed but its too late now as telematics have cancelled it based off what he had reported to him. He said that we told him multiple times that we would get another phone for the app.
I retirated to him that I had not said that but queried getting another phone, as we had been told we could. And that at the end of the call we said we'd just do it for spoitfy. he said well you told me otherwise mutliple times, and I said yes but at the end that was the compromise that we were going with.
I asked to speak to a manager, he said no one was available. I asked to speak to the telematics team, he said theyre not customer facing. I asked to raise a complaint which he said he had done and I have a raised a separate one on the website.
Overall however our insurance has been cancelled for not ACTUALLY doing anything wrong, just asking and being honest and open about what was and wasnt allowed under the policy. Kyle for some reason took it upon himself to report only part of our conversation but not the end part, which was that we would just ensure that my daughters friends used a different phone for the music.
Overall I have found this service to be really poor. kyle needs training and to listen and help. His actions actually felt malicious.
I really would like someone to contact me urgently about this. I do not believe it is lawful or within any policies that you can cancel a policy based on Kyle THINKING we might do something that we asked about and then when he repeatedly said it wasnt possible we came up with a different approach.
How can this be right? I bet there are loads of people just getting a second phone and attaching the app to that from the outset that you dont even know about. At least we were honest and asked the question!”
Hello Louise, I'm very sorry to read about the poor experience you've had and to see that you haven't had the level of customer service you received from the advisor. I'm afraid that only one phone and one account can be attached to the tab. It physically wouldn't allow a second phone/app to be paired.
In light of the cancellation and service you received, a complaint would be the next course of action. I appreciate that you may need to discuss this more urgently that the complaint timeframe would allow so you can contact the Customer Care/Complaints team on 0333 999 8904. I hope that this can be resolved soon and that your daughter is able to get suitable cover for her vehicle soon. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Very poor service, automatic insurance enroll was increased by 60% without any claims, penalties and having additional year of NCB. Be vigilant and avoid.”
Hello, I'm sorry to see that the price of your renewal wasn't competitive this year. There are many reasons your policy’s price may have increased, and you can find further information here: https://www.hastingsdirect.com/renewal-prices/. With online quotes, your information is usually more up to date – this is often the reason for the more competitive price. If you’d like to talk about this, please call our Renewals team on 0333 321 9790. ~Theo. Customer Care
“I'm going to start by saying that it's shameful for you as a company to do something as wrong as this, my bike was stolen then you'll only pay me 91% and of that amount you'll deduct 550 pounds for the excess, then I tried to change the insurance to another bike and the attendant didn't let me, he made a bunch of excuses and said that I had to cancel and I would pay 140 pounds for it, but wouldn't it be better to just transfer the insurance to another bike and I would continue paying, but from what I understand the objective is not to assist It's about the customer, but about making their money, but that's ok, that's what happens when we take out cheaper insurance and you must also be needing a lot to do all this for 140 pounds, that's a shame, deplorable, for me that 140 pounds It's going to make a difference, but I'm not going to go hungry for it, so don't worry, I'll pay the 140 pounds, as a tip and I know that my family and countless friends are also outraged by the way you're treating this and many are already bidding for change insurance company.
And once again I will repeat what I did to the attendant, at no point did I ask for the insurance to be canceled, I just wanted to transfer the insurance but I was denied, I believe it is easier to do that and earn 140 pounds so that I can then take out another insurance, that is you will earn more.
how disappointed I was with this and felt robbed 2 times.”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about the poor experience you during your claim and while trying to change the bike on your policy. I can understand why not being able to simply amend the vehicle details would have been frustrating.
If you feel that this was poorly handled and you would like to raise a formal complaint, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. You can find further information about this process here: www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“I've recently joined Hastings in April after being with Peoples choice for years. I wish I never had, from the start I had countless problems and I've lost track of how many times I've spoken to customer services and been passed from person to person. The only person who spoke to me decently was Alberto, although I still have countless problems he at least tried to help and offered solutions. Orginally all my payments seemed incorrect as the app doesn't correspond to what I actually pay (again been transferred to 3 different people and still not fixed). Then my payments started being split and taken at random times without being told and then what I've actually paid doesn't correspond to what Hastings have. Woke up this morning to find another split payment and concerned again that I have no idea what else is coming out. Even customer services said they were confused at where the payments are coming from. I'm sick of having problems and no solutions because I get absolutely fed up and people not seeing what is actually happening and then just give up. Company is so unorganised and has no idea what is going on, I wish I'd never changed. If I could leave now without having more issues I would 100%. I have no intention of staying at renewal unless something changes, unfortunately I have another 9 months though. 3 months in and I'm so fed up and tired of this company, I'd avoid.”
Hello Jodie, I'm very sorry to see that you've had such a poor and frustrating experience with us. We would like to take a look at the policy and help if we can. If you still need help with this or need to discuss the policy, please send us a direct message on X (formerly Twitter) @HastingsDirect or on Facebook.
If you need to raise a formal complaint concerning this, you can do this by visiting www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or calling us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. You can find further information about this process here: www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
Hello, I'm sorry to see that you've had a poor experience with us. If there’s anything specific we can help you with, please let us know. You can find all the different ways to contact us at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Absolute rubbish, impossible to contact anyone when they are threatening you because their equipment doesn't work and like all big companies they are incapable of taking accountability when they can bully the little person instead.”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about the experience you've had and if you've been made to feel bullied by any of the processes we have in place. If you need any help or you would like to discuss your policy, please email us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com. We'll do all we can to help you. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Awful! Been with them for years , renewal came up all sorted then they cancelled my policy no reason or could give me one hastle I could do without! Found a better insurance company who you can easily talk to on the phone!”
Hello, I can appreciate the frustration this can cause. At the point of each renewal the acceptance criteria is reviewed and as a result the perceived risk posed by the policy details can change. It may be the case that on this occasion the policy details cannot be covered because of changes to the criteria and the perceived risk being too high. I am very sorry that this is the case and it's food to see that you were able to find suitable cover for your vehicle or home. ~Theo, Customer Care
“I took home & contents insurance with HD last year 2023. The premium was fair and in keeping with the competition on a like for like basis.
Now despite insurance companies saying they have dropped introductory discounts for year one, at renewal my premium jumped by nigh on 60%. HD have no option to speak to a human being as such no way to discuss the grossly inflated premium. Needless to say we have not renewed and have found a like for like policy that is within £5 of HD last year premium”
Hello, I'm very sorry to see that your renewal price rose significantly this year. I can appreciate the frustration this would have caused you. If you need to discuss the price you can reach the Home renewals team on 0333 321 9681 and they can take a look at this for you. I hope that you will be able to find suitable cover for your home and contents soon. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Had a terrible experience, I filled out all my details with them and was given a quote. Being happy with the quote I went forward with payment, however just before payment the price jumped up nearly £150, I hasent changed anything on the policy, called up and was told nothing could be done. Was guaranteed a price and then tried to con me with an additional £150 with no explanation just before payment. Probably in hopes I wouldn’t notice the change last minute, absolutely appalled.”
Hello Jade, I'm very sorry to read about this. We would like to take a look at the quote of policy for you. If you can, please email the relevant reference number to customersupport@hastingsdirect.com so we can take a look at this for you. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Useless website does not provide any contact details. If you have a question about your policy or need to renew it there is no way to do so as they do not provide phone numbers, email addresses or even web chat.”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about the experience you've had. The start date is a factor that impacts the cost of our policies. As a result the price can be different depending on when the policy begins or is purchased. Please contact the team if you need to discuss the price at all. They can be reached on 0333 321 9801. ~Theo, Customer Care
“My daughter had a policy 3 months ago, all of sudden they ask 3 months later (after they have taken full payment for the year) for additional information.
So this is what they asked,
Job title and no claims.
We submitted 2 years no claims, we actually had 3, so they said they would return £37. They insisted we added the wrong job title, my daughter has always worked in admin, they say on the document she was sales assistant, don't believe them but ok.
So they offer a refund of £37 but charge us £100 for job title name but take £137 out of my daughter's account. I have reported this and intend to take it as far as possible.
However beware, Hastings are quite an inept company who are more than happy to take unauthorized funds from your account .
Never again.”
Hello Ian, I am sorry to hear about your daughters experience with us. The team that complete this checks are the validation team, and we can run checks on the policies at any time during the period. When they ask for these, we are just checking details, and if anything is down different to what is confirmed, the information will be updated the the charges told to you. ~ Nicole, Customer Care
“POLICY CANCELLED! Why? Because I failed to get back to them within 7 days with a government code number. I have been driving without an accident for 41 years and never required this code number. IF IT IS SO IMPORTANT IT MUST BE ON THE APPLICATION! Not after you have all your documents sent through!
I am now penalised for the rest of my life for not seeing and acting on their email within 7 days. My insurance has now gone up £800 for having to declare I have had insurance cancelled.
If you are 25, you may be driving another 50 years, that's £40,000
There are many stories of this company abandoning drivers and cancelling their insurance.
Think about the costly repurcussions of this before you take their insurance.”
Hello Mark, I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with our procedures and processes. We do confirm that we run checks on policies, and the licence number code from the Government is one of these checks. We give a time frame for needing this, so we can complete the checks for you. ~ Nicole, Customer Care
“The insurance policy stated if your vehicle is involved in an incident you must inform Hastings Direct, hence when my empty and parked car was hit by a bus, I duly informed the insurance company, as the bus company had admitted fault and had informed me that they would repair my vehicle at their expense I informed Hasting Direct that this was a compliance with their policy requirements and I Was Not Making A Claim. When my renewal quote arrived I found that my premium had more than doubled, on contacting Hastings I was informed this was because I made a claim, long story short, I had to chase Hastings to alter the industries data base to remove the claim from their records and they offered me compensation of £100. They updated the insurance data base to read that I had made a notification, sadly this was at a cost to myself when I renewed my insurance with another company as you have to admit a no fault when asked if you have been involved in an accident in the last five years, the moral of the story is to beware of companies reporting wrong facts if you need to contact them.”
Hello, I am sorry to hear that you were not happy about the pricing of the renewal. A claim, even a notification can affect the renewal pricing. We are seeing higher than usual renewal pricing this year, as well as anything else that may affect your renewal that has happened. Nicole, Customer Care
“They renewed my multicar policy even though I phoned them and told them I don't want to renew before the renewal date. Got an email after midnight saying that policy has renewed. To make matters worse, the car insurance company I went with could not insure me because they cannot set up insurance if already insured. lot less than Hastings. This is the second day I have tried to reach the multicar department. Instead I got put through to single car insurance, home insurance and they all say they can't help. I was on the phone for over 55 minutes today. Yesterday was on the phone for over 40 minutes, same thing happened. This is so frustrating. I expect them to compensate me financially. I've sent a written complaint. Choose another insurer. They increased my premium over £500. The other insurer gave a quote that was even less than what I paid with Hastings last year for this year.”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about your report and your experience during your policy's renewal period. I can appreciate the frustration that the poor customer service, wait on the phone and price increase would have caused. I hope that you get a satisfactory resolution to the complaint that you have raised. Please contact the Customer Care team on 0333 999 8904 if you need to add anything to the complaint, discuss it further or check on how it is progressing. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Moved 10 miles down the road and correctly contacted them to advise the address change for my wife's policy. They then demanded an extra £790 for three months remaining on a policy that only cost £168 to start with! As we had only moved to a respectable city suburb and not a war zone this seemed crazy (my own change of address cost me £24 with my insurer). Laughingly, they said I could start a new policy for nearly £2700, more than three times the value of the car. Just bought an alternative policy for £134 and then they had the unabashed cheek to take £2.53 off me for cancelling the policy. Absolutely unbelievable experience..”
Hello, I'm very sorry to read about the significant increase in price for this change. The postcode is a heavy rating factor that can affect the premium, however I appreciate that this was a large increase in cost especially given the amount of time left on the policy. We appreciate your wife having been insured with us and it's good to hear that she was able to find competitive cover for her vehicle. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Will not be using Hastings direct ever again, due to having issues with my black box and then being charged an added fee to cancel my policy even though in my email I got it told me I wouldn’t be charged a fee. Absolutely disgusting customer service would not recommend.”
Hello Isabella, I'm very sorry to read about the cancellation of your policy and if you were mis-informed about the fee involved. We would like to take a look at this for you. So if you can, please forward the email to us at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com so this can be investigated. We'll do all we can to help you there. ~Theo, Customer Care
“Awful FRAUDULENT company! took a policy out with them to have them call me a couple of days later accusing me that I had given false details and had down that I was a district nurse and I had put a rear spoiler on my car. I have no idea where they got this information from as even my original policy documents where correct, which means this is FRAUD on their behalf. Because of these accusations they demanded photos of the entire car and decided to then cancel my policy over a rusty air filter that was apparently a performance part and didn't let me amend it. I was completely un aware of it due to the car not being mine and being my fathers as I was using it to learn to drive. Never will I go back to this company as will be paying the price for this for the rest of my life!”
Hello, I can appreciate the frustration that can be caused by the validations process. I'm sorry that you had such a poor experience during these checks and that this led to the cancellation of your policy. Our New Business Review team pick a handful of policies at random, checking all details and updating them when necessary. This is our standard business practice and we apologise if you weren't aware of this. We need the information to make sure an insurance policy is valid, fit for purpose and that there is no chance that you are not covered in the case of an accident or claim. This check can be done at any point in the policy.
If you believe that this was incorrectly handled and if you wish to raise a complaint concerning this, please visit www.hastingsdirect.com/about-us/customer-complaints or call us on 0333 999 8904. When we’ve logged your complaint, we’ll get back to you within five working days. Our regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, says we have up to eight weeks to settle your complaint, however the vast majority are resolved well within that time. You’ll find more information at www.hastingsdirect.com/help. ~Theo. Customer Care
“Completely incompetent as an insurance company. Customer service is woeful, anytime you have a query or want to make the slightest change you will be forced to sit through at the very least an hour of hold music, which is almost as bad as dealing with their operators whom are so unprofessional and obviously reading every single word from a script. If you choose to go with Hastings, be prepared for unexpected charges, completely different to that of which they quote you or say they will charge. The Hastings Direct app appears to have been produced by a child, which really is an insult to children.”
Hello, I'm very sorry that you struggled to reach us and get the help that you needed. If you need to discuss your policy, the app or need any help with this, please send us an email at customersupport@hastingsdirect.com as an alternative to the phone. We'll do all we can to help you. ~Theo, Customer Care
